Index.



` C. II/I. GOTT.

INDEX. APPLICATION lIFILIzI) 1m29. I9I4.

Patend May 30, 1916.

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QWMIII# C. IVI. COTT.

' INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 29. I9I4.

Patented May 30, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- h @tion/w14 5 ggg Bgm v @ww THE COLUMBIA PLANounAPHco.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Patmted May 30, 1916.

INDEX.

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APPLICATION FILED 1AN29, `|914.

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CHARLES M. corr, or COLUMBUS, OHIO.

' INDEX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented May 3U, 1916.

application mea January aa, 1914. sel-iai No. 815,204.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES M. Corr, citizenof the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the county ofFranklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful-Tmpro-vements in Tndexes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved index and'it has for its objectthe provision of a device of this nature arranged to take care of all ofthe names to be indexed and provide the necessary means to accomplishthis end, while at the same time keeping the number of volumes necessaryfor the pur-- pose at the minimum.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter setforth.

The advantages of the herein described method of indexing will be morereadily appreciated if existing conditions are thoroughly understood.

Tn some indexing systems heretofore employed it has been proposed todevote an entire sheet to each and every name. `While this works outvery well with names which occur very frequently, a great deal of spaceis wasted in the case of names which do not occur very frequently, Vandyet the devoting lof an entire page or sheet to names which do occurfrequently is highly desirable, and it is therefore an especial objectof the present invention to provide a method or system of indexing inwhich the names are indexed in such manner that they demonstrate incompact form, the frequency of their occurrence, and when a name has sodemonstrated that it occurs frequently enough, it is given a page orsheet to itself. The name taken for example in this instance is RichardAdams. The matter e indicates that the name Adams is to appear in Figure1 while the letter R of matter C, indicates that if the given namebegins with an R as in the present case, it must be placed within thecolumn headed by the page number 21. Therefore, by referring to Fig. 3which bears the page number 21 the name Richard Adams will be found. Itis apparent that this is not all that is necessary but that in additionthe system must be so arranged that during the time a name isdemonstrating the frequency of its occurrence persons searching theindexes cannot by any means miss those names which have not up to thattime occurred with Such frequency as to entitle them to a separate page.

In carrying out the invention I provide, preferably in the form of aloose leaf book, a volume having, first, one or more index pages;second, a plurality of mixed group pages, each of which is subdivided toreceive a series of groups of names, and third, a plurality ofindividual name pages.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. lrepresents one of the index pages,Fig. 2 represents one of the mixed group pages, and Fig. 3 representsone of the individual name pages.

Referring to the drawing it will be seen that the index pages, shown inFig. 1, a number of which are preferably provided, with which to takecare of the entire alphabet, bear page numbers designated by thenumerals indicated by the reference characters ct These index pages arepreferably horizontally ruled to provide spaces for names to be arrangedin vertical columns and each column is in turn headed by matter Cindicative of the given name of the party indexed therein. Furthermorethe sets of columns are designated by matter c indicative of thesurnames to be placed therein and each setof columns bears matter findicating that names not found in said columns but which from theiralphabetical nature might be expected to be found there, are to be foundupon the pages designated by indicia Het.

The method of use of this systemand apparatus is as follows: Taking thename Andrew Addison for example, and turning to the index upon Fig. 1and referring to the first and upper column in which this name wouldnaturally be expected to be found, the Searcher finds that this name isnot indexed therein, but finds the matter 72 which directs him to page1, of the mixed group pages. Referring now, to this page, one sees, Fig.2, the name Addison is found and it will be seen that this page is ruledhorizontally for the reception of names but that it is subdividedhorizontally by the heavier lines 15, to provide the mixed group spaces16. In the present instance these comprise three horizontal lines thoughit is apparent that any number of lines may be comprised within one ofthese mixed group spaces. The name Addison is indexed here until, fromthe frequency of its occurrence it fills the space dallotted t0 it anddemonstrates that it occurs frequently enough tok justify the devotionof an entire page thereto. Vhen the name Addison again occurs after thisspace has been filled, an entire pag-e Will be devoted thereto, and asmany more pages as are Ypages is illustrated which has been devoted tothe name Adams, and it Will be seen that in this case the'name Adamsappears in Fig. l, followed by the number 29 which indicates theindividual name page devoted to the name Adams; but it is only becausethe name Adams in this particular case has occurred vvith such frequencythat it is given an individual name page and indexed in the index shownin Fig. l. Usually, however, a Searcher is directed by matter 'f, ashereinbefore stated, to the proper mixed group page-upon which the namesoughtinay be found.

By, virtue of the arrangement of sheets and the system, as herein'setforth, I am enabled toV index any and all naines with a minimum loss ofspace, While at the saine time the possibility that the searcher mayoverlook `any names is carefully guarded against. It has been found, inactual practice, that less than one-tenth of the names, as a rule, occurwith such frequency as to require the devotion of an individual namepage thereto. From this the saving in space will bereadily appreciated.This saving of space is not only advantageous from a monetarystandpoint, but it saves a great deal of Y y the confusion and annoyancearising from a multiplication of names onthe index page.

It will readily be understood that the matterl comprised in the threefigures of the drawing constitutes a single unit of a complete index, inother Words it rela-tes only to surnames beginning with the letter A andtakes care of no other letter of the alphabet.

It'yvilltherefore'be seenfthat each unit consists-of a primary indexshown in Fig. 1, a secondary index vshown in F10. 2, and an individualname page to lwhich the primary and secondary indexes are each related.

yThe invention is not limited tothe precise arrangement shown, for it isapparent that Copies oftrhls patent may be cbtained for ve Ycents. each,by addressing the changes may be made Without departing from the scopeof the invention. For instance many different arrangements of theprinted matter constituting the index shown in Fig. l may be resorted toand yet the spirit of the invention will not be departed from because itis in the relation of an index of this nature to what is shown in Figs.2 and 3 that the invention resides, irrespective of the particularprinted arrangement of any of the subject matter of these figures.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

'1. An index comprising a first page divided into spaces for thereception of naines and page numbers, and bearing matter indicatingWhere such names as are not but which by reason of their alphabeticalnature ordinarily would be entered in such spaces, may be found, aplurality of second pages divided into a plurality of spaces in whichsuch names as are not indexed upon the first named page are entered saidsecond pages bearing numbers corresponding to the page numbers carriedby the first named page, and a plurality of individual naine pagesarranged in such manner as to adapt them to Vhave entered thereon suchnames as are found upon the first named page.

2. An indexing unit devoted to a single letter of the alphabet andcomprising tliree distinct parts, first, a primary index, second, asecondary index and third an individual naine page, the primary indexbeing suitably formed to receive names of frequent cccurrence togetherwith the numbers of the individual name pages upon which such names offrequent occurrence are entered, and said primary index'bearing primaryindexing letters relating to the given names of the persons indexed uponsuch page, and the secondary index being formed to provide a pliiralityof groups of spaces in which such names as are not indexed upon thefirst named index are entered, said primary index bearing matterindicating that such naines as are not but which by reason of theiralphabetical nature ordinarily would be entered therein are to be foundin the secondary index.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

CHARLES M. GOTT. Witnesses:

FRANK G. CAMPBELL, R. E. MARSHALL.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

